lml@lancaironline.net Mailing List Archive

Charlie, My experience over the past six years/1200 hours in my IV-P closely parallels yours. I believe our aviation fuel supply system is much "cleaner" than it used to be, and my wingtop gas caps don't leak--water...a problem with lots of airplanes. So after a couple of years of catching just a few bits and pieces in the gascolator, it's been completely clean. Still, it only takes one time...so I'm staying with the gascolator. The gascolator filter looks like it wouldn't catch anything smaller than nuts and bolts, but it's a proven device over many years of aviation use. There are definitely better filters available, but they have drawbacks/limitations. Bob -----Original Message----- From: Lancair Mailing List [mailto:lml@lancaironline.net] On Behalf Of Charles Brown Sent: Monday, July 28, 2014 5:40 AM To: Lancair Mailing List Subject: [LML] Re: Gascolators and fuel lines. Data point for gascolators: Legacy IO550, unheated hangar in Dallas (variable humidity, but on the dry side), fuel from municipal self-serve pump, and from self-serves whenever possible on cross-country. 1. Have never seen water or sediment in the wings. Dunno why not. Other planes at same airport -- pretty much same deal. 2. Never seen water in the gascolator. I check it at every oil filter change. 3. After build, the gascolator trapped on the screen some grayish fuzz and in the bowl small soft gray bits of ... proseal? ... in diminishing amounts over the first 150 hours / 1 year. After that -- nothing. 4. In spite of having a gascolator and taking all the same precautions that people mention -- wing sloshing etc -- an injector plugged at about 18 hours during Phase 1 testing. Was there debris in the fuel lines *downstream* of the gascolator? I don't trust fuel supplies, and I don't *ever* want an engine failure (especially in a Lancair), so I'm keepin the gascolator. Charley Brown Legacy #299 400 hr -- For archives and unsub http://mail.lancaironline.net:81/lists/lml/List.html